The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-06-29
SIGNS AND OMENS.
SUGGESTIONS THAT LINGER IN
THE RURAL DISTRICTS.
The Tl-Iuck Of Splitting Salt, Breaking
Loohing-glass or Sweeping at Night
Immunity of the Sycamore from Light
ning-wise Saws of Country Darlies.
tcopvrioAted, 1881


ning-wise Saws of Country Darlties.
IcopviaAted 1871
Where Is the man. who was raised in
the country, who has battered barefooted
over the newly-turned burrows of the
fallow ground, romped in the new-made
hay, filing the air with sweet perfume
as 1t dries in the hot rays of the sun, who
has driven the cows to pasture, when
every sprig of grass is adorned with
dewdrop sparkling like gem in the new
born beams of the sun, or has rollicked
under an old chestnut tree, his fingers
pierced with sharp pointed "stickers,"
as he too eagerly sought to induce COR
pulent burr to yield up its rich contents
where is the man who did all these
things in the gypsying days of his
country boyhood who does not remem-
Der with smile, as more mature years
ripen his mind, the old signs and omens
connected with so many commonplace
events and objectsf He may smile, he
may deride, but ct times he will uncon-
sciously find himself meditating on some
thing that has happened and hoping that
the evil result prognosticated according
10 farm tradition may not occur.
They are country-bred, these signs
and omens, indigenous to the meadow,
the barnyard and the woodland, and
thrive In no other place. Hark to the
long-drawn melancholy howl of the
dog, sounding weird and uncanny in
the stiffness of the night Old aunt
jimmy In the kitchen says: "D'ye
heer datf some ones gwine to die
soon, now mark" and her hearers feel
a superstitious twinge even though they
deride the prophecy. AS grandmother
comes into the breakfast-room and seats
herself at the table she remarks that
something unpleasant is going to occur,
for the first thing she saw as she looked
out Of her window that morning was
crow, and that is ominous. We fail to
perceive why the crow, as a crow, should
be an omen of Ill. Ali his color, black,
indicative of desolation, of mourning
that must be It. Reasoning on the same
basis, If she had beheld red bird in
stead of a crow, she could, with
reason, expect red-letter-day in her
calender--a day of joy and festivity.
Now, what is gloomy about the crow ex-
cept his color9 The crow is pleasant,
sociable fellow. You rarely see him fly
ing grumpily by himself; generally he is
in company with others and always talk
ing and chatting. We ridicule the idea of
crow being an ominous bird, and yet we
are just as well pleased not to see one
the first thing in the morning.
In my young days to spill the salt was
regarded as most unlucky accident and
the invariable precursor of scolding.
If splitting salt at a cent a pound is SO
bad it would logically follow that the
splitting of sugar at eight cents pound
would be terrible; but country signs and
omens do not respect the rules Of logic
1t is deemed good luck to carry salt the
first thing in house one proposes to
occupy-it will bring good fortune to the
domicile. This may be so, but / have
seen houses where the introduction of
some efficacious insect powder would be
more conducive to domestic comfort than
tons of salt. A great deal of significance
mas, however, aJtacueu W salt in all ages.
1t was a custom of the ancients before
meals to make an offering of salt to the
immortal gods. In Russia to this day
man Is expected to take some salt with
his host when he calls on him.
Every poison has its antidote, and 1t
would be sad, indeed, II misfortune
as likely to occur as upsetting the salt
cellar was without means OF palliation.
The remedy Is to throw pinch of salt
over the shoulder. This will avert the
evil consequences. Unfortunately, au-
thorities differ concerning the applica-
ton of this remedy. Some say the
pinch should be tossed over the right
shoulder; others declare dogmatically
that the left Is the proper shoulder, and
to throw II over the wrong one only
makes matters worse.
A man who is so under the ban of for
tune as to break looking-glass is a
creature to be pitied. Woe must be his
lot for seven years, and, sad to relate, no
remedy has ever been discovered to avert
these dire consequences. Now, why the
looking glass; II is not stated that the
consequences incident to breaking hun
dred-dollar bronze-framed glass or one
with plush environment are any more
terrible than the smashing Of six-by-six
fifty-cent mirror; the whole matter rests
on breaking looking-glass. A man may
break wash-stand, wardrobe, sew
ing machine or an old master without
entailing iIl-luck upon himself, but woe
betide him II his sacrilegious hands crack
the looking glass.
IT'S sweet to hear the cackle Of the
hen, giving notice of the deposit of a
fresh egg. To the hungry country lad,
whose good digestion waits on a large
appetite" there are pleasant anticipa-
tions of bacon and eggs, and toothsome
"egg pome," embodied In this CHEEKY
sound. And the young chickens peep
ing, whisking here and there, give
rise to thoughts of gastronomic enjoy
ment when they shall appear, with the
tempting accompaniment Of cream
gravy, in the shape of fried chicken.
How homelike, to look at number Of
chickens, industriously scratching among
the tufts of grass, now turning leaf
over with their beaks as though treas
ures lurked beneath, and the rooster,
alive to the great responsibility devolv-
ing upon him, gives warning "quawk"
every now and then, when he sees or
pretends to see hawk, and then In loud
but mellifiuous accents calls the attention
of his wives to choice tid-bit he has
found, and which he generously swallows
just as they arrive out Of breath with
their hastel
Can there be venom ana guile among
these useful creatures? Alas yes.
Nothing can more surely indicate the